The story of the American Athletic Conference baseball season through two weeks of conference play has been parity. Only two games separates first place from eighth place as we enter Week 3.
The early surprise in conference play has been Cincinnati. The Bearcats, who were projected to finish eighth in the preseason coaches poll, sit alone in first place at 4-2 in The American after winning their first two weekend series. Cincinnati has been particularly strong at home this season, going 14-4 at Marge Schott Stadium, but will have to win on the road this weekend to remain atop the standings. Cincinnati heads to New Orleans to face Tulane, which sits a half-game behind the Bearcats at 3-2 in The American.
Cincinnati’s improved pitching staff – led by RHP Andrew Zellner and LHP J.T. Perez – will face a Tulane lineup that has hit 33 home runs in 32 games, including nine from 3B Hunter Hope.
Houston and UConn will meet in Storrs, Connecticut, as both teams try to build upon impressive midweek wins. The Cougars have won three in a row after Tuesday’s win against Texas, while the Huskies beat Fairfield and a solid Bryant squad in their two midweek matchups. Houston’s bats will have to contend with a UConn pitching staff that ranks ninth nationally in strikeouts entering the weekend.
East Carolina heads to Memphis for a battle of 3-3 teams in The American. East Carolina has hit a league-leading.303 as a team and has the league’s individual batting leader, as OF Dwayna Williams-Sutton enters with a .388 average. Memphis is coming off a series win against USF and has seen RHP Colton Hathcock win his last three starts.
The American’s two Florida-based schools meet in Orlando as USF heads to UCF. The Knights are 3-3 in conference play after playing three one-run games against Houston last weekend, while the Bulls are a game behind the pack at 2-4 in The American. UCF RHP Robby Howell takes a 6-0 record and a league-leading 1.26 ERA into Friday’s projected start. USF pitchers are ranked fourth nationally in strikeouts, as RHP Brandon Lawson leads The American with 66 strikeouts and is averaging 11.2 Ks per game.